Artist’s Statement and Bio

I was born in the suburbs of Chicago, Illinois, and grew up in northern Alabama. I believe my artistic passion awoke from dormancy while studying art and wandering across Europe during the summer of 1985. Since then both traveling and art have been a steady part of my life.

In 1987 I traveled with a photography group to Panama, where we explored the Darien jungle and photographed the colorful and vibrant Choco Indians. The following year, we traveled to Nicaragua to create a body of work representing how the lives of children were disrupted during its civil war. I shared this powerful experience by showing a large number of compelling and intense images that produced a heightened awareness of the strong interference by the US government upon small developing countries.

Since then my sculptural and photographic work has developed by focusing on issues related to the environment and the impact put upon the world by human societies and their urban settlements. I have been exploring the Four Corners region of the US, specifically the architectural work of the Anasazi. I was impressed by their environmentally sound adaptations which allowed the Anasazi to benefit from their unforgiving landscape.

Within the past few summers, I have spent several weeks exploring the unique stone architecture located in a southwestern region of Italy called Puglia. In particular I was drawn to the “trulli,” conical stone buildings still used as homes, barns, and storage sheds.